Lane Keeping Support (LKS) refers to lane keeping systems which assist the driver in holding the vehicle in the lane by directed steering moments. First LKS systems have already been brought onto the European market. They include a lane recognition system with which it is possible to determine the course of the lane ahead of the vehicle, for example the curvature and the change in curvature, and the relative position of the vehicle in the lane, for example the lateral distance and the differential angle. For that purpose, the traffic area in front of the vehicle is scanned with a video camera and the grayscale images are evaluated in a control unit. Where appropriate, data from further surround-sensors and information from a digital map may also be included to support and expand the video-based lane information when determining lane information.
German patent document DE 10 2005 056 211 A1 discusses a method for controlling the lateral movement of a vehicle, in which the course of a lane lying ahead is detected at least as far as a look-ahead distance, and a target trajectory for the vehicle is planned by a control unit.